The Way You Are
by corneroffandom
Summary: After Dolph gets concussed and loses the World Heavyweight title, he slowly begins to realize and accept what he really wants.


**A/N: Slash fic.**

_"I can't do this anymore. I... wish things were different, but..." Dolph Ziggler stares as his words register with the person he feels like he barely recognizes any longer, his shoulders slumping. "I love you, I probably always will, but... this isn't healthy any more. I have to go." He collects his already packed bags and heads for the door, unsurprised but still hurt when he's not stopped. He leans against the door and breathes loudly, shaking the back of his head against the wooden barrier keeping him from his past. "I'm sorry," he breathes before walking towards the elevator and leaving the apartment that'd become a big part of his life behind for the last time._

Sitting up with a gasp, Dolph kicks the sheets away like they're the cause of his tormented dream and shakes his head, breathing heavily. It'd happened almost a year ago, and it still haunts him. He closes his eyes and shudders as a hand snakes up from his left, curling around his shoulders. "I'm ok, AJ," he mumbles to his new girlfriend, trying not to freak her out as he pieces together the current reality of their hotel room, her petite fingers stroking soothing circles in his skin.

"Nightmare, Ziggy?" she asks sympathetically, brushing sweaty hair out of his eyes with a faint smile. He nods and she tsks, kissing his shoulder soothingly. "Anything I can do for you?"

He shakes his head, trying to ignore the thrum of need coursing through him as he takes a breath. The only thing that could possibly help him had left ages ago, and it's not fair for her, but he can't help the dreams, or how they make him feel afterwards. He stares at the ceiling as she tries to comfort him, her fingers running through his hair until finally he sinks once more into rest. Thankfully this time, the repetitive dreams stay away, the rest of his sleep easy and deep.

That morning, he wakes up to find AJ sprawled out over his chest, breathing easily as she sleeps. He smiles slightly, brushing the long brown hair from her eyes before staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully again. They'd been together for a few months, but last night had been the first time he'd had such a bad reaction to one of _those_ nightmares in front of her. He feels ill and unsettled about it, relieved that he's never talked in his sleep, which, considering how outspoken he usually is, is a lucky break. As she shifts and clings to him, he closes his eyes and pictures the break up once more, the anger and pain that he'd felt reflected in the eyes watching him leave.

He lays back down and shakes his head. "I'm so sorry," he mutters, not for the first time or, he thinks, the last.

AJ blinks at him, but says nothing, somehow sensing that the vague comment wasn't aimed at her, despite her being the only other one in the room. She holds him a little tighter and wonders who he's talking to, if he'd even realized he'd spoke aloud.

_"What happened to you?"_

_"I don't know what you mean. Nothing happened, I'm still me."_

_"Don't be obtuse, this _isn't_ you, it hasn't been you for a very long time."_

_"Explain to me how it hasn't. I haven't changed, if anything _you_ have!"_

_"You're insane. I'm still the same guy you claimed you loved two days ago!"_

_"The sad thing is you honestly seem to believe that..."_

Dolph stares, brooding, at a TV screen, the words people in some stupid commercial for some lame romance movie are reciting cutting through him like a knife. Though not verbatim, they remind him of another conversation, at another time, in another life, that's been replaying in his head for months by now. He sighs and thumbs his eyes, wanting just to forget...

"Ziggy? Are you alright?" AJ's voice breaks into his thoughts, as the girl sits down next to him and curls his arm around her shoulders, leaning into him.

"Oh, yeah," he nods, kissing her on the temple. "Never better." Their fingers lace together as they stare at the TV, neither paying much attention to the show droning on. Their thoughts are far away, a medieval fantasy adventure doing next to nothing to keep their focus for more than a minute or two at a time.

He cashes in the night after Wrestlemania. As he holds AJ close, kissing her wildly while Big E. stands nearby, arms crossed over his chest, for the first time in a long time, things feel perfect. The dreams, his memories, even feel like they belong to someone else for awhile. He twirls the girl and laughs, the weight of the title in his other hand a welcome presence that he wishes will be with him for a very, very long time.

He finally leaves the ring, title on one arm and girl on the other, grin growing on his face with each step. Even when he makes it backstage, a line of his fellow competitors there either to eye the new champion, considering how difficult a challenge he'd be to take the title from, or honestly congratulate him, and feels _those_ eyes locked on him as he walks by, he doesn't miss a beat, all but preening to the crowd as he walks by them, realizing more and more that, yes, this is reality. He's World Heavyweight Champion, _finally_.

Abruptly overtaken by the need to show off even more, he stops halfway through the halls and twirls AJ closer to him, dipping down to kiss her, losing himself in the feel of her reacting against him, his free hand tangling in her hair. Neither care as people mutter around them, the divas giggling and whispering cattily, but he does note when the presence that had haunted him for the past few months disappears, trying to shake the realization away as he kisses his girlfriend even more intensely, only pulling away a few minutes later to find they'd been left alone in the hallway, only Big E remaining nearby with an awkward look in his eye as he crosses his arms over his chest.

She breathes deeply, eyes locked on him, as he trails a hand down her back and tugs her along, walking towards his personal locker room. "Let's get out of here."

"Sounds good to me," he says. _On many levels..._ He keeps the pure joy on his face, leading her out of the building as their enforcer follows, glad that soon he'll be alone in his own hotel room, away from their... celebration.

But it doesn't last, their happiness quickly disappearing with one careless kick from Jack Swagger a few weeks later. Dolph doesn't lose consciousness immediately, fighting off Del Rio and Swagger both as well as he can until he falls out of the ring and lands roughly, AJ right there to comfort him, but it's there that everything goes dark, muffled around him. His vision is still tunneling when the trainer helps him into his office, preparing to run tests on him. It confirms what he himself had known as soon as he'd come to, his head throbbing and the world unable to sit still even when he's just laying down. He's never felt this weak or ill before, this feeling much worse than all concussions he'd had in the past. The only thing grounding him is the warm hand in his, and for a wild moment, he thinks... But one glance up and he knows, smiling anyway when he sees his girlfriend. "AJ..."

She presses a soft kiss to his lips and forces a smile, stroking her fingers through his hair carefully. "Yeah, Ziggy, I'm here," she tells him. "It's going to be ok." Big E is nearby, watching them, his World Title held in the larger man's hand. "We'll take good care of you."

"I know," he says as the enforcer approaches, taking AJ's place as he hesitantly gets to his feet. "Thanks, E," he mumbles when he stumbles and is stopped by Big E's large arm. AJ resting a hand on his back, they begin to make their way to the exit. The trainer had said as long as they keep an eye on him, he can get _some_ sleep before his flight, but to call him if anything seems off, or for an ambulance. He sighs in relief as he sinks into the hotel bed, AJ curling up against him as he wraps an arm around her. "AJ? Thanks, babe."

"You're welcome, Ziggy," she whispers, trailing her lips along his jaw and hands down his chest as he stares at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim him, take him away from the dizzy pain of his headache. When he does finally doze off, almost everything fades away, his dreams strange and fuzzy, haunting him.

When he wakes up, AJ has an odd look on her face but says nothing, immediately smoothing back his hair and urging him into the bathroom, explaining as she helps him soap up his hair that they have to leave soon, the flight back to Arizona leaving shortly. He nods, watching her carefully pour a glass of water through his hair, washing out the shampoo. "AJ? What happened? I feel..."

She sighs, resting a hand on his forehead to keep the soap from his eyes. The trainer had warned her that amnesia could be a result of the concussion, something to keep an eye out for. Her heart breaks as she takes in the confusion in her boyfriend's eye. "What do you last remember, Ziggy?"

His memories are scattered, hard to sort out. "I... think... Friday?" He breathes as she freezes, staring up at him with a somber wince. Something on her face proves to him that this is the wrong answer and he swallows, wondering why he's so dizzy and achy, unable to do the simplest thing for himself. "What- what day is it, babe?"

"Sunday," she says, heart breaking as she helps him out of the bathroom and dries his hair off, touch gentle and soothing as he digests losing the last thirty-six hours and all that might mean for his career. "It's ok, we'll get you home, set an appointment with your physician, and then let you sleep in your own bed for awhile."

He smiles as she helps him pull a shirt on, causing his hair to frizz up even worse. "That sounds great." Once he's dressed, the jeans proving to be the most complicated part of the whole attire, nearly sending both of them down onto the floor more than once, they go hand in hand to the main part of the hotel suite, unsurprised to find Big E standing by the doors, arms crossed patiently over his chest. "Come on, Big Man."

He nods and follows them out to the lobby, AJ making sure that Dolph stays with her, his balance still badly off, vertigo eating away at his ability to not run into people or inanimate objects. She smiles sadly and squeezes his hand, relieved for Big E as his general bulk causes people to keep their distance anyway, leading the way to the rental car that will take them to the airport, where they'll accompany Dolph to his home in Arizona, make sure he's settled in before Big E returns to Florida. AJ will be remaining with him, see for herself that he's taking care of himself while they wait for his next check up.

He's relieved for having both of them, AJ especially, but as he falls asleep once the airplane soars into the sky, it's another voice that teases him, a different pair of eyes that stares at him, stroking his hair out of his face as he melts into the comfort of familiarity, his headache easing beneath their fingers. "I've missed you," he mumbles- in dream or reality, he can't tell for sure...

"I've always been here, even if you didn't see me," is the response, and he sighs, smiling softly.

"Maybe I haven't seen you, but I've always _felt_ you. It helped, some..." He feels a soft touch on his hair, down his neck, and he leans into it, eyes slipping closed. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, bro."

He jerks up, finding himself sitting alone in an airplane, memories fuzzy and far away as he looks around in confusion. "Zack?" he mumbles, trying to work through the fog. When he hears footsteps heading his way, he looks up to find AJ approaching, a soft look in her eyes as she finds him awake. He smiles at her, relieved to find it comes easily; despite the dreams, his feelings for her are still there, still true. "Hey, babe," he greets her, voice thick with sleep as he reaches out and snags her hand. "Where did you go?"

"Bathroom," she says, kissing his knuckles as she sits down next to him. "Did you have a nice nap?"

He nods and smiles, shaking away the last vestiges of the dream he'd had of days long past. "I did, yeah. Are we landing soon?" He glances out of the window before wincing, the bright light messing with his equilibrium yet again. As he looks away, grimacing, she leans closer and allows him to bury his face in the dark fabric of her shirt, blocking out everything that triggers his headaches and dizziness.

"Soon," she answers softly. "How are you feeling?" He shakes his head, not wanting to say anything in case the simple action of opening his mouth would cause him to feel even worse. She sighs and strokes his hair gently, eyes shining with worry and compassion for her boyfriend. "It's gonna be ok, we'll get you home and in bed, and I'll take care of you until I need to leave for the next WWE event."

"Sounds good," he mumbles into her hair, sighing as he thinks about getting to sleep in his own bed and not moving for hours, maybe even days. Hopefully dream and memory free...

AJ keeps her word, though he'd had no doubt she would, helping him make it around his apartment when he's dizzy and getting him food the rare times he does feel like eating, most times just laying with him and watching TV turned down low as he dozes, their fingers interlaced keeping him grounded the times he wakes up, disoriented and weary.

Big E calls regularly, making sure they're both doing alright, unable to leave Florida due to his NXT responsibilities, Dolph just starting to feel a little more stable when AJ has to leave for that week's Raw. "I'll be fine, babe," he tells her with a smile, standing at the door of his apartment and trying not to make it seem like he's using his tight grip on the doorknob to keep his balance. "Don't worry too much, go do what needs to be done." She'd discussed in great detail her endgame regarding Kaitlyn and the whole secret admirer thing and he's impressed by, more than anything, just how patient she'd been with the whole thing, drawing it out over weeks.

She sighs, leaning in for another lingering kiss. "If anything happens," she prompts him, pressing a finger to his lips while waiting for his response.

"I'll call 911, then the neighbors, then you," he nods, cupping her face before kissing her, both reluctant to pull away. "Kick some ass, babe. I'll be watching." He smiles at her as she flips her hair over her shoulder, blowing a kiss at him as she skips down the hallway towards the stairs. Once she's out of sight, his smile fades and he leans against the door, shutting it behind him. The apartment feels too quiet, grim. He sighs.

He hates silence, he hates being alone. He hates being injured. Walking carefully back to his bed, he sits down and cards his fingers through his hair. The World title is glinting from the bedside table, taunting him, and he grimaces, scooping it up and examining it in the half-light. He's not sure what he hates more, these memories that are still with him, or the fact that he's champion but unable to _do_ anything... _Soon,_ he tells himself. _I'll be back soon._ _Then I'll make up for everything._

The days are more excruciating than he could've ever imagined, however- his doctor appointments the only times he gets out of the apartment, neighbors that AJ had wheedled into driving him around ensuring he gets where he needs to go, the doctors looking guardedly hopeful that he'll be cleared to return to the road in the next few weeks, before the Payback pay per view. He nods grimly, shaking their hands as needed, before going back to hide away in the apartment, unable to do much more than sleep or stare at his title intensely, many thoughts of what he'd do first upon his return to the WWE flitting around his head.

But worse than all of that are, of course, the memories, which only seem more determined to paralyze him now that he's alone, in the quiet, empty apartment. The blank look on Zack's face as he'd left, the almost cruel twist to his lips the first time they'd crossed paths in WWE's hallways after that... how he'd looked like he'd sucked a lemon when he first caught sight of AJ curled all around Dolph, clinging to him hard enough to hurt. How, despite all of it, he'd still sent positive tweets about Dolph during Wrestlemania, and the night afterwards when he successfully cashed in. Dolph stares at the shadowy ceiling and wonders...

When Raw finally comes around, he locates the remote with some struggled focus, turning it to the USA Network. Somewhere between a Cena and Ryback segment, and something to do with The Shield, he falls into a doze, his fingers twitching against the sheets. Dreams melt into reality as his eyes flutter, fixing on the TV as Zack wrestles against Ryback, a short little match that still manages to be painful, his ex getting Shellshocked into the mat harshly. Dolph breathes, frowning, as Ryback is announced the winner and Zack squirms in pain on the mat.

"Zack," he murmurs, watching through hooded eyes as the screen goes dark, obnoxious commercials taking over. As he breathes in time with the ticking clock on the bedside table, sleep overwhelms him again and he sighs, relaxing against the sheets. "Zack..."

_"Hey bro," Zack greets him one day, the two of them bumping into each other in the hallways of the arena. Ziggler raises an eyebrow at him, trying to remember if he's introduced himself to the other man yet. Not that if he had or hadn't ever stopped him yet, just liking the sound of his own name... "I'm Zack Ryder."_

_"I'm Dolph Ziggler." He's said his name so often the last few weeks, introducing himself to everyone he comes across, sometimes more than once- just to ensure they don't, _can't_ forget him... but this feels differently, something about the look in Ryder's eye telling him that he _won't_ be forgotten, no matter what._

_Zack grins at him, all brightness and energy, and Dolph finds himself drawn to him in a way not many has managed to yet in this business. "Are you new here?"_

_"You could say that." He pauses, smirking slightly as he reflects on the names he's gone by in the past, shaking his head in relief to be away from them. "How about you?"_

_"Might as well be," he responds with a shrug. "Good to meet ya, bro." Dolph stares at him for a moment before meeting him halfway, shaking his hand. Something passes between the two at the very first contact and they pause, lingering a little longer than necessary, palm to palm. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Zack steps back, forcing separation, before looking up at him. "Hey, after the show... wanna go get a drink? I know of a bar around here that has the best stuff on tap."_

_"Sure," Dolph agrees with an easy grin, neither man aware of what that simple night out would bring for the both of them._

He wakes up with a gasp and finds the TV flashing, the clock just visible from this angle telling him that it's nearly 3:30 AM. He groans and tries to get off of the couch, his dizziness returning with a vengeance. "Fine," he mutters, wishing for the first time since AJ had left that he wasn't alone, his attempts at being brave and self-sufficient despite the lingering concussion syndromes failing. "I'm not gonna move. It's good here, it's comfortable." He sighs, groaning softly.

Some stupid movie drones on on the TV and he smiles, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest to watch until he can either feel secure enough to move _or_ fall back asleep, whichever comes first. A few minutes in, he realizes he'd seen the movie in theaters years ago. "No way," he mutters, shaking his head. "Why tonight?"

_He and Zack had been having one of their randomly stupid arguments that seemed to have no ending, until one of them, fed up, would kiss the other impossibly hard to disrupt the chain of pointless back-and-forth, but today Dolph just wasn't in the mood so he'd stormed into a movie theater and bought a ticket to the first movie he'd seen on the list, Zack following his lead and ducking in with him, hissing in his ear all through the ads and general warnings by the theater to be courteous and turn cell phones off, yada. There being no other person in the theater at 2 PM in the afternoon, he gets away with it until the movie actually starts and Ryder becomes distracted by the plot after a few moments, falling silent and watching with Dolph._

_It's not well-written by any means but the underlying theme of unrequited love strikes a chord with both men and before long, Dolph finds his fingers tangled up in Zack's, the two watching with baited breath as the man on the screen continues to try to win the woman over subtly, by always being there for her, charming her slowly with his steady, comforting presence. Happy endings a requirement in most of these types of films, finally he confesses his feelings to her and, although she at first denies him, comes to find that she'd grown to see him as more than just a friend, finding him in their favorite bar and, kissing him intensely, admits that she too loves him. The credits had barely begun when Zack twists around in his seat and, tangling the fingers of his free hand in Dolph's bleached hair, begins kissing him, laughing softly when Dolph responds eagerly, their earlier bickering forgotten._

_"I love you, kid," he mutters when he's finally given the room to speak, Zack reluctantly pulling away when they realize they need to leave to free the theater up for the next showing. As they head for the exit, walking by the waiting attendant, neither mind an inch at their make-out session getting witnessed._

_Zack tugs on his hand as soon as they're back out in the sunshine, Dolph turning to look at him, the soft gleam in his eyes. "I love you too, bro." They grin at each other before heading for the car, looking forward to getting back to the privacy of their hotel room._

Dolph hisses and shuts the TV off, glaring at it for a long moment before forcing his way off of the couch, not even caring when he gets hit by dizziness halfway to his bedroom, gripping the wall with a shaking hand. "Just a little further," he mutters, stumbling the last few feet before haphazardly tipping over into the pile of sheets and blankets waiting for him, closing his eyes. This time, however, sleep avoids him as he reflects on how cold, empty, his bed is. "Dammit..."

The day passes slowly, Dolph unable to do much more than sleep or stare blankly at the TV after his doctor's appointment, his condition not changed. He's not cleared to travel, far from being cleared to compete, and so it's with a grimace that he lays and stares at his title belt, waiting for AJ to return to distract him from his scattered thoughts.

He's been asleep for he's not sure how long when he hears the apartment door click open, soft footsteps padding in his direction. As the bed sinks down next to him, he reaches out and sighs as a soft smell of perfume washes over him. "AJ," he breathes, pulling her against him and kissing the side of her head. As she runs a hand down his abs, he sighs into her hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Ziggy," she whispers, shifting so she's straddling him, brushing her fingers down his throat. "More than you'd possibly ever know..." She leans down and kisses him, sighing into his mouth as he responds hungrily, hands trailing up her back to hold her in place.

"I think I know," he mutters into her mouth, groaning as she moves against him in response. "AJ..." All thoughts, memories and dreams ease from his mind as she pins him to the bed, hair raining down upon his shoulders, both of them lost in the moment.

She's warm and soft, her breaths gentle against his lips, and all he wants is to lose himself in her fully, never come back to reality, but he's still so dizzy, even laying down, that taking this any further seems to be a bad idea, his vision already spotting. He rests his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back gently, and she stares down at him in confusion, as the situation registers once more with her. Face falling, she kisses him soothingly. "My poor Ziggy," she breathes against him, laying down so her hair is sprawled out across his chest. "It's ok. Everything will be fine."

"I'm sorry," he mutters, tangling his fingers in her hair as he closes his eyes and tries not to drift away in the sea of dizziness. "I just can't..."

"It's fine, babe. I understand." She leans back to look him in the eye, smiling. "I just want you to be ok. Alright?"

He nods, sighing. "I'm so lucky to have you, babe." As she kisses him softly, he closes his eyes and breathes lightly as sleep once more overwhelms him.

_Ziggler is disgusted with himself. Barely on the main roster for a month and already busted for wellness..._ _He paces around his hotel room, wondering how he's going to go home and face his brother or anyone else who'd been invested in his success in the business, when there's a knock at the door. He groans and stares at it, hoping that whoever's trying to gain entrance to his room will take the hint and go away._

_But that doesn't happen as the knocking resumes a moment later, louder than before. He grumbles and grabs the handle, about to lay into whoever's on the other side, when he stops short, staring at Zack Ryder in subdued surprise. "Oh. You."_

_Zack doesn't look offended, tilting his head as Dolph rolls his eyes. "Well hello to you too, bro." Ignoring Dolph's resistant attitude to his presence, he brushes past into the room and turns back to him. "Heard what happened." Dolph looks tense, ready for a fight, but as soon as he turns around and they lock eyes, Zack nothing but sympathetic, his shoulders slump. "I'm sorry, bro. That sucks. Are you ok?"_

_"Never better," he grouses, turning to walk towards the bed. "I'm not in the mood for company though. You should probably go-"_

_"Oh please, have I ever seemed like the type that would listen to that, bro?" He smirks, sitting down at the bottom of Ziggler's bed. "Besides, I'm not the type to care about a wellness violation. Consider this your judgment free zone. Sit, relax a bit. The least I can do is take your mind off of it for at least a few minutes, bro."_

_Dolph grimaces, drawn towards Zack's offer. "I don't know... I doubt that's possible. I really messed up." He groans, burying his fingers in his hair. "I had one chance, and... what if this is it? What if I've blown it and they never trust me again?"_

_Zack stares at him, shrugging. "Don't look at it like that, bro. Take it as a warning, to be more careful... change what you're doing so this doesn't happen again. Everyone makes mistakes. Just be smarter, better next time, that's all. You'll be fine, I have no doubt."_

_"Well, thanks." He walks over to the window and stares down at the asphalt below. "Hopefully the higher ups will be as understanding as you are."_

_Zack joins him a few moments later, looping an arm around his shoulders before pulling him closer in a warm, comforting hug. "Either way, bro, I just want you to be ok." As he rests his cheek on top of Dolph's head, the bleach blond grins a little, surprising himself by how lighter he _does _feel after all._

He and AJ spend a few days together before she has to leave for Smackdown, returning for a day to check on him before leaving once more for Raw. He's a little steadier now, needing sleep less, and sits in the living room, watching the show for her. The last thing he expects is a continuance to the Ryback thing from the week before, Zack's match against Cody Rhodes interrupted when the monster comes out afterwards and targets Zack, shellshocking him three times brutally. Ziggler can't help but feel like the oxygen is being forced from his _own_ lungs with each strike, but it only grows worse when Ryback grabs Zack and drags him up the ramp to his ambulance, throwing him inside before slamming the door on him, the vehicle leaving with its siren blaring.

"No," he mutters, sitting up as the screen goes black afterwards. "Dammit..." He swallows dryly, staring at his cell phone abandoned on the table in front of him. He's sorely tempted to call someone, but he's not sure where to begin. Or if it'd even be fair to any of them- himself, AJ, Zack...- for him to ask for information, but... It's an itch under his skin and he _needs _to know. No matter how badly things had ended between them, he needs to know what his ex is alright, never wanting anything bad to happen to the man. "The one time I have to be injured..." he grouses, remembering how hard it'd been to watch from the arena when Kane had targetted Zack. To be stuck at home, watching this, is at least ten times worse.

When AJ calls almost an hour after the show is over, the girl quietly resting in her hotel bed while waiting for her flight back to him, he almost dives for his phone, anxious for any kind of update. "Hey, babe," he says, trying to sound calm, normal. The last thing she needs is to know just how desperate he is for news on Zack, especially with her track record and the insecurities she's always felt.

"Hi, Ziggy." She stretches out on the bed, sighing. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he says. His main problem now is not himself, but he's not sure how to ask her. "I saw Raw tonight."

"Oh." She doesn't respond for a long moment before finally... "He's ok, Ziggy. I thought you'd be wondering, so I checked for you. He's in a hospital resting, but they say they're going to release him soon."

Dolph stares at his phone. "You honestly checked on him for me?" Affection for the girl overwhelms him and he struggles to breathe, his emotions a bit stronger because of his concussion. "Thank you, AJ. I can't believe you'd do that for me, considering how you feel about exes-"

He can hear the smile in her voice as she explains, "Well, see, my exes are all pathetic jerks. I can tell, despite how tense things are between you and Zack sometimes, that you still consider him a friend. And I want you put at ease, especially while you're recovering."

He smiles too, relieved that she can read him so well, even from states away. "Thanks, babe. It does put me at ease. I don't like thinking about him hurting, despite it all." The only thing that would help more would be to hear his voice, see his obnoxious grin, but this'll do. It'll have to.

When he sinks into sleep a little later, it's with her voice in his ear and Zack's wellbeing on his mind, lips parting slightly as he yet again envisions the look on the man's face as he'd ended it with him almost a year ago, eyes crinkling in discomfort at having to relive the memory in his subconscious once more.

Despite his sleep being far from restful, he breathes a little easier the next morning when he wakes up and settles in to wait yet again for AJ to return. His next doctor's appointment is in a few hours and he hopes that it'll bring him good news, fiddling with his phone while he waits. He's not fully focused, fingers idly playing around with the keypad on the device, and when he looks down, he's shocked to find Zack's contact information on the screen. He swallows and tries to close it out, but fingers pause over the button. He sits and stares, pondering for long moments.

Accessing his menu, he takes a breath before bringing up his text screen. _Hey. Heard you were in the hospital. Everything alright?_ He again hesitates, feeling uncustomarily selfconscious, certain that he'll either get an insulting response or completely ignored. Which, he supposes, he wouldn't fully blame Zack, after months of barely talking to the man. Releasing a soft breath, he presses send anyway and puts the phone down, trying to lose himself in some comedy special on TV.

Every time the screen flashes with text alerts, he jerks and grabs at it, just to find that it's not Zack. His regret over even sending the text in the first place grows until, finally, his screen flashes once more and he takes a breath, refusing to jump up and grab it. It's not until the show goes to commercial that he lazily leans forward and presses a button on the touchpad, staring at the screen. _1 missed text from: Zack._ He gapes and grabs it, unlocking it so he can read.

_Yeah, I'm fine, they were just taking precautions in case I had a concussion or whatever. They say they'll probably release me after some more tests. They also want to check my back, considering... you know, Kane._

Not long after their breakup, Zack had rebound, visibly attempting to distract himself with a friendship with John Cena, followed by a failed relationship with Eve Torres. She'd been using him to get Cena's attention, adding dissension between the two friends. But worse than that, his hanging out with Cena had put Kane on his path, causing him serious spinal issues as Kane took glee in attacking him at every opportunity, even leaving him in a back brace for a few weeks.

Dolph takes a breath, shaking his head at these thoughts. He'd still been associated with Vickie Guerrero at the time, their relationship strictly professional for a lot longer than most people realized, and it had sucked to watch the Long Island Iced Z get strung along and hurt due to two people who couldn't give a damn about him in the long run, still visibly reeling after Dolph had ended it. _I'm glad you're ok._ This text is easier to send than the last, and he smiles sadly when Zack replies a minute later, _Thanks, bro._

He's still sitting there, idly watching TV, when AJ returns. "Hey, babe," she greets him, skipping over to kiss him. He grins up at her and pulls her closer for a lengthier kiss, which she hums in appreciation during. "Someone's feeling better, I see."

"Yeah," he mutters, tangling his fingers in her long hair and pulling her closer. "Much." As she giggles, he grazes his teeth down her jaw and throat, causing her to arch against him. "Love you, babe."

"I love you too," she breathes against his cheek before flipping her hair over her shoulder and leaning in for another hungry kiss. Everything else- Kaitlyn, Zack, his lingering inability to compete- disappears as they lose themselves in each other.

_"Oh come on, just try it. Once. It won't kill you!"_

_"You don't know that," Ziggler says with a huff, his arms crossed over his chest. "I really don't want it, Zack."_

_"Bro!" Zack pouts, finally taking a deep pull of the Bud Light Lime, a mischevious look in his green eyes. Before Dolph can warn him, he's lunging forward and kissing Dolph, the taste of the beer still strong on his lips, Dolph mumbling viciously before relaxing into him, unable to resist Zack's kisses for _too_ long. Zack pulls away, grinning, eyes twinkling. "Well, what'd you think?"_

_"Horrible," he grouses, but grabs Zack by the collar and draws him against him once more, kissing him needily and pondering the twang of bitter alcohol mixed in with that taste that's just always been _Zack_, thinking maybe he could get used to it. Though he'd never admit such things to the man who's currently tugging at the strands of his platinum hair._

_"Now?" Zack whispers, his fingers shifting down Dolph's neck towards his back._

_"Disgusting," he reiterates, the shudder he releases at Zack's trailing fingers belying his words. Zack just smirks and presses another kiss to his lips, shaking his head fondly._

He wakes up craving something that he's not had in a very long time, eyes fluttering as he shifts and immediately freezes, finding AJ in his arms, breathing softly as she sleeps on. She's beautiful and soft in the early morning sun, causing him to smile slightly. Whatever he'd been dreaming fades away as he strokes his fingers through her hair, waking her up slowly. As she looks up at him, grinning, he pulls her in for another kiss and sighs against her lips. "Breakfast," he finally mutters, releasing a breath as she hums in response. "What do you want?"

"Shouldn't I be cooking for you?" she wonders, pulling back to look him in the eye. "Ziggy..."

He just smiles, pulling himself out of bed. "Nope, I'm feeling a lot better... it's time for me to pay you back for all that you've done the past few weeks." As she follows him into the kitchen, he peers into the fridge and cupboards, tilting his head. Despite his having been home awhile now, it's still pretty bare on the food scale and he winces. "Alright, well... I guess we're going out then. What do you feel like?"

"Later," she determines, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him back where they'd come from. He grunts but can't complain, food not at the top of his priorities now either.

It feels like a lifetime after Zack's attack by Ryback when Dolph is finally cleared to return to competition, the Show Off feeling like he can breathe again for the first time in weeks, AJ's hand warm and steady in his as the doctor looks him in the eye and tells him what he'd been hoping to hear for almost a month. "Thanks, Doc," he breathes, shaking the man's hand enthusiastically.

"My pleasure, Mr. Ziggler. Stay healthy, I don't want to see you here ever again," he tells him genially, smiling when AJ kisses Dolph warmly.

"I'll make sure of that," the girl insists, grinning almost as wide as her boyfriend. "Come on, Ziggy. There's so much to do before Monday!"

She doesn't know the half of it, he knows, as he packs and heads over one more time to thank the neighbors who'd helped him so much when AJ hadn't been around, then filming a quick video to air on Smackdown at the precise moment that Alberto's match ends, warning him that he will be back shortly. He tilts his head upon finishing, staring at the camera with a wistful smile.

_"Turn that damn thing off, Zack!" Dolph complains, trying to hide his face from Zack and the camera he's flourishing around, the flashing red light tormenting Ziggler. "I look horrible-"_

_"You look fine, as always!" Ryder exclaims, keeping the camera out of his reach as he continues to film him. "Listen, just relax. You're always complaining that you never get enough time to actually _talk_ in the WWE, so here's your chance." As he takes in Dolph's continued reluctance, he sighs, eyes softening. "Bro, really, do you think I'd use it if it ends up being bad? Just... give it a chance, huh? If it's good, I'll figure out a way to work it into my show. If you hate it, I'll delete it, no questions asked."_

_"You better not be lying, Zack. I want final say on everything," Dolph says, eyes flashing warningly as they stare at each other. He shakes his head in more than a little disbelief at his even considering such a thing, but Zack looks so earnest... _

_"I swear, bro. I'll let you see the final, edited product, and if you want me to delete it still, I'll press the button right in front of you. Promise."_

_Dolph sighs, shrugs. "Fine, fine, we can try it-" he gives in, words suddenly muffled as Zack laughs and kisses him, drawing him closer as the camera is abruptly forgotten._

That weekend, he thinks, is the longest of his life. He's jittery, packing and unpacking a million times as he tries to ensure that he has everything he'll need for the next few days on the road. His title teases him out of the corner of his eye as he reflects on how he has yet to defend it even once, and he can only imagine Big E's comments should the much larger man see how he keeps lingering by his bag, still unsure. He almost feels like a rookie again, all of his ease with non-stop road travel eluding him after a month away. "God," he mutters, scraping a hand through his hair. "Keep it together, Ziggler. You'll be fine."

When AJ arrives halfway through the two hours he spends dwelling on the things spread out before him, she giggles. "Are you trying to remember what all you have to pack?"

"You know me too well," he tells her, grinning too. "It's like I've forgotten everything. Which makes no sense, it's only been a few weeks since I last packed this bag... Hopefully the retrograde amnesia isn't the cause of that too."

AJ's laugh is a little tense and manic and he immediately feels bad for joking about it, after everything they'd been through. "Ziggy..."

"Sorry," he mumbles, pulling her closer and kissing her temple. "I wasn't thinking, it's not really funny. I know I scared you, hell I scared myself."

She looks comforted by this and presses a soft kiss to his mouth. "I know. I'm just- I shouldn't overreact at every little thing, I know you were just joking."

"It's what I do," he smiles against her hair, "to mixed results." As she laughs, he rests his hand on her stomach, gently rubbing the warm skin beneath his fingers.

_"Zack! Come on, kid! I swear, I was only kidding," Dolph pleads, chasing Zack through the halls. "Man- come on, stop-"_

_Zack _does_ stop, Dolph running into him and nearly sending them both into the nearest wall. It's only then that Dolph realizes how hard the other man is trembling, his lip wobbling as he turns to face the Show Off. "You- you were _making out_ with her, bro. My ex-girlfriend? Are you _serious_, bro?!" There's so much anger in his voice that it floors Dolph, but worse than that is the hurt that vibrates through both of them. "You knew how she hurt me, and you still- you... just for a segment on my show? The segment I _gave _you?" Tears do fall now, staining the rug at their feet a darker shade. "How could you do that?"_

_"I told you not to take anything on my Ask The Heel segments seriously!" Dolph groans, each tear coming down Zack's face feeling like a shot to his chest. "Kid, come on, please-"_

_"You told me not to take anything you _said_ on Ask The Heel seriously! Kissing some- some... hoeski on _my_ show and acting like it's nothing, like I shouldn't be pissed..." He trembles harder, planting his hands on Ziggler's shoulders and trying to push him away. "Leave me alone," he yells, spinning away and racing down the hallway towards the elevator, stumbling every few steps._

_"No! Zack, please," he cries out, chasing after him once his brain catches up with everything going on around him. "Please- please-" He catches up to him as he trips once more on the carpet, wrapping his arms around him and pinning his hands to his side. "Stop. Stop. Please, just- just stop." As Zack cries in his arms, starting to slump bonelessly to the floor, Dolph feels his heart break. "Oh, kid... I'm so sorry."_

_After a long, painful discussion, where Dolph begs for forgiveness and holds onto Zack like he's afraid he could disappear at any moment, the Long Island Iced Z ultimately agrees to give him another chance, but... it's the beginning of the end. Z!TLIS isn't as much fun, the United States championship feud becomes bitter, and..._

Dolph opens his eyes, pleasantly surprised to find that AJ is still in his arms, fast asleep, and he smiles, kissing her awake. "Mm," he sighs. "We should get moving." She whines and tries to squirm closer to him but he pinches her side lightly. "Come on, babe. The wrestling world waits for no man... or woman... no matter how hot they may be." When she looks up, huffing, he winks at her.

"You're lucky you're cute," she sighs, kissing him quickly before getting off of the bed and flouncing off to the bathroom to get ready. He grins.

"I know," he mumbles, pressing his fingers into his eyes. "Get it together, Ziggler," he commands himself. "These memories aren't getting you anywhere. It's been over a long time, you've both moved on." He stares at AJ's things scattered around his apartment, remembering when orange and purple shirts filled his closets to the point that he sometimes ended up wearing them himself because getting to his own was taking too long. "Dammit..."

A soft hand playing through his hair surprises him and he looks up to find AJ smiling down at him, eyes dark with worry. "Are you alright, Ziggy? You're not dizzy, or feel a headache coming on again, right?"

"No," he tells her, eyes softening when he takes in just how desperate she is for him to be ok again. "I'm fine. Just thinking about how long it's been since I've been in the ring... I've missed competing, and all of the chances I could've proven myself as a worthwhile champion..."

She smiles at him. "Don't worry about that, Ziggy. Everyone knows you deserve the title belt, and now you can show the world, as you do every night."

And she's right, he does- or at least tries to. It's a long road back to 100% for him, but he's determined not to give up, no matter how equally insistent Alberto Del Rio is to get his title back. He has a few matches against members of 3MB, eventually eaking out victories against them, getting back into the groove of things before Payback, and he feels pretty good. He even sees Zack a time or two, in the halls, and they exchange glances before continuing on opposite paths, Ziggler glad to see he looks alright too, considering how serious the attacks by Ryback had seemed not that long ago.

But it all comes crashing down again _at_ Payback. Del Rio becomes vicious after Big E gets ejected, kicking Dolph again and again and again like he had confused his head with a soccerball, until Dolph can barely stand, much less think. He sees the fear and horror on AJ's face sometimes, when he can focus, and it's so horrible, so wrong, so... He barely feels as Del Rio pins him, wins the title, nor does he realize the celebration going on around him from the 'new' World Heavyweight Champion and his ring announcer, AJ leaning over near him with pain and tears in her eyes.

He stares at her for a moment before falling back against the mat, failure and pain covering him like a cold, uncomfortable blanket. Referees and trainers are all over, checking on him, trying to help him to the back, but he can barely stand and the men on either side of him take the weight. For a wild moment, he thinks one has familiar spiked hair, warm green eyes temporarily filled with sadness, and he mumbles, "Zack," but he blinks and realizes that, no, it's just one of the newer referees by his side and, besides, the spiked hair is no more, as are the warm eyes that once could barely leave his. This makes him only feel worse.

All he can think about is the weeks he wasted at his apartment, unable to compete, leading to this- his injury, losing the title... so many other things... He suddenly understands with a sharp, painful kind of clarity how Zack must have felt, losing the US title to Swagger so quickly after gaining it... so soon after seeing Dolph with '_Princess Leia', _no less_..._ He swallows and closes his eyes, not saying or doing anything as the trainer guides him to the cot for his examination, another IMPACT test. He answers all questions, follows all commands, but can see it in their eyes as the trainer and doctor discuss results in the corner of the room. "Not cleared to compete," he says before the trainer can alert him, staring ahead grimly. "Got it."

But he doesn't, far from it. He doesn't get a lot of things, anymore. He doesn't get this business, he doesn't get his own skull, he doesn't get AJ's fixation on Kaitlyn- she has the Divas title, isn't that enough for her?-, he doesn't get why so many guys more deserving are stuck back in catering, starving for a chance more than they'll ever be for the food there, but not getting it, he doesn't get Big E's unceasing loyalty to his girlfriend. So that night, he ignores all of the trainer's words, he ignores Ricardo Rodriguez' scrambling attempts to pull him away, he ignores everything around him, and attacks Del Rio, clawing and beating at the man who'd so callously taken his World title.

It's only when he heads backstage, finally giving up on finding Del Rio and eaking out revenge, when he finds he doesn't care what he doesn't _get._ He'd always made it on his own instinct, gut feeling... and he can tell he's just going to have to start doing that again. Care less about what other people say or do, think or feel... Swallowing, he wanders backstage and finds himself at catering, which is mostly deserted and calm, the last of the crew cleaning up as the show peters out to an end out in the arena. Only one person remains, listening to headphones as he pokes at a piece of pie disinterestedly. Ordinarily Dolph would turn and leave, knowing better than to even approach, but things haven't been normal since his concussion so he walks that way determinedly. "If you're not going to eat that," he says brazenly, "mind if I take it off your hands?"

Zack Ryder looks like he's been slapped as he glances up, hands jerking the earphones out of his head almost painfully when he realizes who's standing by the table. "Uh, yeah, sure." He slides the plate over dumbly, staring at Ziggler in confusion. They hadn't talked in what feels like forever, so Dolph doesn't blame him for looking like that, but it doesn't stop him from sitting down and shoveling the pie into his mouth like he hadn't ate in about the same amount of time. He's half through the pie when Zack finally speaks up again, sounding like he can't believe he's encouraging further discussion. "Are... you alright?"

Dolph chews thoughtfully for a moment, staring at him as he enjoys the subtly sweet taste of the key lime. "Yeah, I'm fine," he says simply. "Never better. I mean, I've been kicked in the head enough times to win a superbowl, lost my title, and now I'm sitting eating while a guy who's hated me for over a year watches me, but yeah. I'm great." Realizing what he's just said, he swallows as he flushes, slumping over the pie once more. "Forget I said that, blame the head injuries."

Zack has a weird look on his face, staring down at the table between them. "Sure," he mumbles, standing to leave. He's just made it to his feet when Dolph looks up, watching him. "I'll let you eat your pie in peace, bro." He blinks, staring at him for a long moment, swallowing uncomfortably as he hopes that his ex doesn't catch, or care about, _that_ particular slip. When he says nothing, Zack grabs his purple hat and continues to the exit quickly.

But Dolph _had _noticed, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he hovers over the plate, watching Zack go. He had stopped most of the broski stuff, or at least eliminated a fair amount of it from what Dolph had heard or seen, but... that...

_"Bro!" Zack calls out, causing Dolph to stop short as he runs up to him, all grins and joy. "Where have you been?"_

_Dolph smiles at him, unable to resist being swept along with his happiness, his own annoyance disappearing in a rush. "I just arrived at the arena. Traffic was a bitch. What's going on? You seem... pleased."_

_"I have something for you, bro!" Zack cries out, his already wide grin somehow growing as Ziggler realizes his hands are held behind his back. "Close your eyes!"_

_He fears that he'll end up regretting this, but Zack looks so _happy_ that he can't refuse him, squeezing his eyes shut after a moment of hesitation. He's still standing there waiting when Ryder approaches, his warmth teasing down Dolph's skin as he lifts his arms up, urging him quietly to hold them up like that for a minute. He frowns until something is pulled over his head, realizing it's a shirt as Zack takes care to fit his arms into it. "Wha- Zack," he mutters, fearing that he'll open his eyes to find himself wrapped up in a Bieber shirt or something equally as horrible._

_"Relax, bro, this is going to be amazing!" Zack takes his time adjusting the shirt against Dolph's chest and abs, his light touch through the fabric along his stomach making the bleach blond shiver slightly. His voice is quiet, in some awe as he steps back and whispers, "Ok. You can look."_

_Dolph swallows and does so, staring once more at Zack, whose eyes are locked on his midsection, before following his gaze. He blinks a time or two, taking in the shirt now adorning his body, lips twitching. "Zack... Is this...?"_

_"I finally have a merch shirt, bro!" he says, eyes shining with so much glee that Dolph feels like he's drowning in the warm green gaze. "Isn't it great?! Even if it's just, you know, a basic shirt, it's a start! I think things are starting to catch on!"_

_Dolph examines the shirt with Zack's visage on it, smiling at his enthusiasm. He wonders, not for the first time, how certain people could overlook all that Zack has to bring to the table, something as simple as a t-shirt making the other man ecstatic. "You look great," he says without really thinking, blinking as he looks up to find a surprised, pleased look on Ryder's face. Trying to move past the suddenly awkward moment, laced with something that he _does not_ want to face now, if ever, he swallows. "So you want me to keep this shirt, huh?"_

_"Sure, bro." There's still _that_ look on Zack's face, mixed in with some mischeviousness, and he swallows, about to say something to break the moment up, when- "It looks really good on you." Dolph blinks, looking down to find Zack's hands smoothing the fabric across his chest, pressing against the design on the shirt. "Like, _really_ good, bro." He's leaning in- Dolph's frozen- and then he's kissing him, grinning against his lips as Dolph responds before he can think it through, tangling his hands in the folds of Zack's own shirt, holding him in place._

_Ziggler's thoughts are all over the place as he tries to get even closer to Zack, though it's impossible, hands pressed against the back of his head as they continue to kiss, neither willing to let the moment end. "Zack," he groans slowly, resting his forehead against the other man's as soon as they reluctantly pull away, not completely ready to relinquish contact with him even as they both gasp for air in an attempt to cool the flush both are feeling. "What..."_

_Zack shakes his head, smiling as he breathes roughly. "Wanna go out to dinner?"_

_Dolph blinks up at him. "Are you asking me out on an actual date, kid?" Considering they travel together, room together, and do so much else together, neither of them had seen the point behind actually going out on a date... but clearly Zack had changed his mind, and Dolph is surprised to find he's relieved for that now._

_"I'd say I am, bro," he says, his eyes glistening with so many emotions that seem to bleed out into that simple word. Something he calls almost everyone else that he knows suddenly sounds different to how he says it to Dolph, full of meaning and affection and it makes his heart speed up, because he's pretty sure Zack's never said bro like_ that_ before._

Unless he's always said it that way to me and I've never really noticed before,_ he thinks, suddenly seeing Zack in a different light. _Maybe I wasn't the only one scared to give into this completely... _He closes his eyes, remembering the feel of that kiss, smiling. _No more. We'll be fine. We've been best friends since pretty much day one, and we'll continue to be. No matter what._ "I'd love to go out to dinner with you," he finally vocalizes, grinning when Zack lights up like it's Christmas morning._

But he'd been wrong. They hadn't been fine. It had crashed and burned over the course of many months, leaving them both hurt and angry. He sighs, watching Zack's retreat, conflicted. He hadn't deceived himself. Zack had called him bro like he used to, long ago, as if... _No_, he shakes his head. _You're just in a weird place because of your title loss and the head injuries. Don't make anything out of it. I doubt Zack would _want_ you to dredge all of that up again. _

He tries to focus on what he _does_ have instead, AJ and the #1 contendership for the title, and the ability to walk in a straight line again, his headaches fading away into nothingness, allowing him to continue proving to Del Rio that he's not done with him. He even takes Ricardo Rodriguez out, leaving Del Rio to compete alone, which means it'll be a fair fight because somewhere along the line, he'd stopped accompanying AJ to the ring for her matches, confident enough in her skills that she can handle her own business, though Big E doesn't seem to agree, and she'd reciprocated in kind, which is fine for him. Big E too had stopped seeming like a plus to him, his desperation to win the title back meaning that a disqualification of any kind would just work against him. Best not to have any kind of outside forces around to muddy the waters.

But apparently this is seen as ignoring AJ, because she starts growing more and more clingy, although all she can talk about is Kaitlyn when they _are_ together still. She just holds onto him tighter as she does it, ignoring his requests for her to move on, enjoy her title victory- which, he has to admit, also rankles with him. She'd been sad and gentle with him the night he'd lost but, after that, had only seemed to care about her own title reign, and whatever lingering issues she has with Kaitlyn. He wants to support her but it's hard when all she seems to care about _is_ herself.

He's pretty sure he should've seen it coming, but he doesn't. It's not like the signs are too apparent... yes, there's tension between them over the Kaitlyn thing, but they'd not really been arguing. She's seemed more sad lately, and he suspects he should've tried being more attentive, but her erratic behavior shows itself for the first time in _their_ relationship, despite his previous certainty that she'd never feel the need to be like that with him, at the worst possible time. She costs him the World Title after hitting Del Rio with her divas' title, the referee immediately calling for the Disqualification, and as his opponent runs away, laughing, he begs with the ungiving referee before turning an angry stare onto AJ.

She holds her hands up to him, apologizing through a rush of tears, but he can barely hear her pleads, the words as meaningless to him as his had been to the referee moments earlier. Fed up with everything- the memories, the lack of consideration she had for him, this loss, the concussion that had derailed his title reign in the first place- he finally snaps, yelling at her for costing him the match. "We're through!"

He storms out of the ring, up the ramp and to the back, where he can still hear Del Rio's laughter echoing through the halls. Everyone he passes falls silent as if afraid that he'll turn his anger on them, but it's the last thing on his mind. He can hear AJ rushing after him, still begging him to listen to her, but all he wants is to get away, have some time to think. Overly aware that she has no problem going into the male locker room, he instead ducks into what he thinks must be a janitor's closet, breathing heavily as she rushes past, crying his name out in confusion.

He's still in there, he's not sure how long later, when there's a faint knock on the door. He jerks away from it until the knob jiggles, someone opening it as light pours inside, dazing him. "Hey, bro? She's gone, you can come out now."

Dolph blinks, surprised to hear _that_ voice, lifting an arm to block some of the light from his eyes. Instead, a hand reaches in and grips his arm, helping him to stand. "Zack?" he asks, wondering why the broski is here, helping him. "What are you doing?"

Suddenly looking awkward, Ryder swallows and steps backwards once he's on his feet. "Erm, well, I was wandering around, bro, and I saw what happened. How you were trying to get away from her." He shrugs, eyes darting around like all he wants to do is either melt into the floor or run away, anything to avoid Dolph's confused, heavy gaze. "Decided just to hang around, see what was going to happen next... then you ran into the closet. Once she went by, I just figured I'd let you have a head's up so you could get your things and leave too, or ... whatever."

Ziggler releases a soft breath, nodding. "I see. Thanks, kid. I appreciate it." They stare at each other for a few minutes before Dolph shakes his head, trying to return to reality. "I should go, what you said- getting out of here- sounds really good. I need to think..." He half-heartedly smiles before walking away, leaving Zack to stand uncertainly in the hall.

"Hey bro!" he hears suddenly, stopping to look. "I- I'm sorry you lost against Del Rio. You deserved better." He looks hesitant, eyes wide in his tanned face, but stands his ground nonetheless. "Anyway, um, yeah, good luck with this whole AJ situation." He waves and quickly walks off, Dolph blinking after him in surprise.

He can still remember some of the things he'd said regarding the Eve situation- on Ask the Face, in backstage, and everywhere possible- so Zack being nice at all with this whole mess surprises him. He deserves far worse, but Zack had never quite been that way, not one to use anything and everything for an attack... He walks away, deep in thought. _At least the old Zack hadn't... _My _Zack..._

_"C'mon, bro, just another couple of steps," Zack's voice echoes in his ear, breath warm and hands steady as he supports him over to a hotel bed. "Why... Dolph...? This is the second night this week." He doesn't sound angry, just scared... worried. It gains the Show Off's attention and he looks up at him, frowning. "I know it sucks that you lost the World Heavyweight Title like that, but getting drunk off your ass isn't going to help. If you go to work drunk-" His hands tighten around his midsection, as if he's afraid that Dolph will slip away should he let go. "WWE won't stand for that kinda thing, bro. I don't want you to get fired. Do you?"_

_"No," he mumbles, almost tripping over himself, the only thing saving him being the bed nearby as he sprawls out on its surface, bringing Zack down with him in a tangle of legs and arms. "Oops."_

_Zack groans, staring in disbelief at the bleach blond man. "Ow. You're lucky you're cute."_

_"You think I'm cute?" Dolph slurs, rubbing his heels against the back of Zack's legs. "I think you are too." He leans up, kissing him forcefully, moaning when Zack responds after a few moments._

_His fingers are digging into Ryder's back, holding him close as they share sloppy kisses, when the Broski shakes his head, pulling away painfully. "No," he pants into Dolph's hair. "Not like this, bro. You're drunk." As he stands, Dolph reaches out for him, confused and dizzy, and it breaks his heart as he leans down for one last kiss. "Just sleep it off, huh? We'll talk in the morning." He pushes him back against the mattress and pulls the bedding up around him, before turning to sit in a chair and watch, sleep, think. Dolph's passed out before he's taken three steps._

_He's startled awake by the sound of Ziggler crashing into the bathroom a few hours later, giving him a moment before wandering in to wet a cloth and rest it against his forehead, brushing the platinum strands of hair out of his eyes. When Dolph slumps against the cool tile, staring balefully at Zack, he says nothing, merely wiping Dolph's face off carefully while giving him time to think._

_"I'm sorry," he finally mutters. "For all of this. I know you're right." He spits into the sink once more before turning morose eyes back onto Zack. "I just... I try so hard and that title win and loss... Will I ever reach that level? Will it ever really matter to anyone?" He groans, barely moving as Ryder leans forward and grasps his hand, squeezing gently._

_"It matters to me, bro. _You_ matter to me." He grins a little as some light returns to Ziggler's eyes. "You always will, alright? No matter what." He sits for a moment, staring deep into his eyes, before standing up. "Now come on, let's try this sleep thing again, huh?"_

_Dolph sighs, nods. This time, when he sinks into the sheets, Zack follows him, trusting in him not to do anything too ridiculous now that he's a bit more sober. He knows he owes the other man a lot the next morning, for putting up with him this week, but says very little as the broski wraps an arm around him, pulling him close. "Thanks, Zack."_

_"Anytime, bro." He snuggles in closer to Ziggler's back and kisses his neck, chuckling when the ends of his hair tickles his nose and lips. "Good night."_

Dolph wakes up with a smile on his lips, looking around before he remembers- that had been years ago, and he'd lost both the title and his girlfriend the night before in one fell swoop. He'd wanted it all- thought perhaps he could have it with AJ, especially after he'd cashed in the briefcase, but she'd cost him big time. Not only had he lost the opportunity to regain his title, his frayed nerves after weeks of her obsessing over Kaitlyn and barely paying him any mind had snapped. He relives the look in her eyes as he'd screamed at her that it was over, mulling it over. His break up with Zack had been quieter, sadder, private, than this one. Not that he hadn't cared about, maybe even loved AJ in his own way, but things had fallen apart so rapidly, unlike the slow, torturous crash and burn that he'd had with Ryder... he has to wonder...

That night, he's walking through the halls, somewhat keeping an eye out for the Broski as he approaches the ring for his upcoming rematch against Del Rio, when he hears familiar steps behind him. He closes his eyes on a groan as AJ rushes up to him, all hope and desperation, and it disgusts him to see it. He _wants_ to hurt her in a way he'd never intended to hurt Zack, especially when she wraps herself all around him in the erroneous assumption that he'd forgiven her. His not returning her hug is obviously the first sign as she steps back and looks at him, dawning pain overwhelming her expression. He sneers down at her as he tells her emphatically that they're beyond done, leaving her behind as he continues on his way. He doesn't see Zack, but that's ok. He has to focus on Del Rio right now.

But ultimately his actions come back to haunt him, although he'd expected this and tried to account for it. AJ runs down and rings the bell, distracting him, the referee, fans, everyone. It allows Del Rio to gain the cheap victory after a kick to the head, and Dolph steams as he sits up, glowering down at the girl. She enters the ring and just goes insane on him, slapping and screaming and raging until- Big E comes out of nowhere and lays him out, leaving him open to AJ's goodbye kiss. He lays there dazed, not sure if he's more disgusted by the loss, or the feel of her lips still on his.

He doesn't remember leaving the ring or making his way gingerly back to the trainer's, but he does remember feeling a familiar presence and looking up to find Zack peeking into the room, his lips parting when he realizes he's been caught. "Kid," Dolph greets him wearily, running his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, hey," Zack grins slightly, inching inside like he thinks he might get yelled at for poking his head inside. "Erm, saw what happened. Are you ok?" he asks, eyes locked on his feet as he shuffles around anxiously, Dolph unable to stop a grin from forming on his face at the familiar gesture.

"Yeah, I'm good," he nods, watching as the trainer presses an ice pack to his shoulder. "Just a little sore, nothing to worry about."

"Good, I'm glad, bro," Zack says, glancing towards the door like he wants to dash, leave the somewhat awkward situation behind. "Um, well... catering has some of those cookies that you like so much, so y'know... I'll try to save some for you if you're going to feel up to coming around later." He blinks a time or two, eyes wide, before he does head for the door. "Um, see you around."

"See you," Dolph says quietly, staring out into the hallway thoughtfully. _I think that was an invite, if I've ever heard one..._ His heart rate picking up, he takes a breath and shakes his head. _What are we doing? _For the first time in a long time, he's relieved to be held back for a few minutes at the trainer's office just so he can think.

_He and Zack are sitting outside of an arena, idly flicking rocks against a wall as they wait for the show to end. Neither had been used that night so, not seeing a point to hang around, though not wanting to leave should things change as they do sometimes, they'd sat out in the dark and talked through the event. Dolph had sensed something was weighing on the broski but he'd not pushed, knowing that Zack will mention whatever it is whenever he's ready, and not a moment sooner. "Think the show's over yet?" _

_"It is pretty quiet in there. Guess we could check," Dolph shrugs, standing and heading into the building. He's almost within reach of the door when-_

_"Hey bro?" Zack asks softly, Ziggler barely able to hear him over his own footsteps. When he turns, Zack is staring at his feet sheepishly. "Um, I just- wanted to let you know..." When he looks up this time, his eyes are glowing with a soft intensity in the light over Dolph's shoulder, and Dolph is thrown yet again by how ridiculously hot the other man is, his boyish charm and silly humor smooth across Dolph's skin every time they spend any significant amount of time together. "I love you."_

_Dolph stares at him and, dammit, he was expecting a fair few things, but definitely not that. Even so, he knows his response like the back of his own hand, having felt it for quite awhile by now himself. He holds Zack's eyes, the arena behind them full of their fellow competitors all but forgotten as he walks over to him, gripping his arms. "I love you too." Simple, sweet, unlike most of their interactions in or out of the ring, but nearly painful in its truth. When Zack's face lights up, he leans in and presses a soft kiss to his mouth, shuddering when the broski responds, letting Dolph dictate the pace in walking him backwards until he's pressed against a trunk, Ziggler's hands holding his wrists down on either side of his body. "Forever," he declares, pulling back enough to look Zack in the eye again before returning to kissing him._

_"Always," Zack answers softly, eyes fluttering as Dolph settles him back against the rough surface, scraping his fingers up his neck and into his hair, leaning against him as he claims his lips again, neither of them caring now whether the show's about to end or not._

The trainer finally allows him to go, the ice now a mushy mess, and he is relieved to toss the pack aside and stand, rotating his shoulder and neck around before leaving the room. "Cookies, huh?" he mutters, turning towards catering with a small smile on his face. He still has no idea where this Zack thing is going, or if it'd even be a good idea to spend any substantial time with the man after everything they'd put each other through, but he's feeling lonely and weird, unable to shake these memories he'd been haunted by since before the concussion. The lack of AJ hadn't helped with that, though he's not complaining, somewhat glad to be rid of the mercurial girl, still stinging from losing his chance at the title yet again thanks to her. His eyes brighten when he turns the corner and finds Zack sitting at a table in catering, a stack of cookies on a plate waiting in front of him.

He's barely made it half way to the table when the other man looks up, grinning slightly. "Oh, hey, bro, you made it. Finished up with the trainer finally, huh?"

"Yeah," he nods, staring down at the plate as he sits down across from Zack, who slides it over to him quietly. "You weren't kidding about the cookies, huh? I'm surprised you even remembered..."

"I remember a lotta things, bro," Zack answers, flushing when he realizes what he'd just said. "Um. So, what- what are you going to do about this whole Big E thing?"

Shaking off his wayward thoughts about what Zack had initially said, Ziggler shrugs. "What do I usually do? Show off while I beat him down." He grins smugly, beginning to pick at the cookies.

Zack chuckles. "Wouldn't expect anything else, bro." He falls into another awkward silence, watching Dolph eat. "I-"

"Hey, um-" Both fall silent when they realize they're talking over each other and Dolph coughs. "Go ahead."

"No, bro, it's ok- I didn't have-" He sighs. "You say what you want to. I can wait."

Ziggler hesitates for a long moment, staring from him to the cookies and back. "I guess I'm just wondering what all of this is. I mean why? You haven't come to talk to me for ages, barely leaving me tweets sometimes... and now you're offering me cookies and coming to check on me at the trainer's. It's just, a really sudden change."

Zack stares at him for a long moment before nodding. "I know, bro." He swallows and looks away. "I've been a pretty crummy friend- a pretty crummy everything, really. I guess I just needed some time after Z!TLIS ended to work some stuff out." He grimaces. "You might think this is kinda weird, but it was you who snapped me out of it. When I saw how you weren't giving up even after the concussion, even after losing the belt... I'm not sure this is making any sense, after everything, but yeah, it made me reconsider how I've been handling my own situation."

Dolph blinks. "Oh... so you..."

"I want to- well, try being friends again, bro. If you wanna give me a second chance." Zack smiles wanly at him. "I know I messed it all up last time, but... a fresh start would- would be good, right?"

Clearly floored, Ziggler stares at him, pondering his words. _A fresh start... after everything? He really wants that? After... after Z!TLIS and... Eve, AJ... so much has happened..._ Stalling by biting into the cookie, he closes his eyes. _I really have missed him... but... is it even realistic, to think we could move past everything, be friends again? I'm not sure._

Zack stands before he's even done dwelling on everything, a hurt look on his face. "Don't worry about it, bro. Guess too much has happened. I understand." He pushes his chair forward, looking everywhere but at Dolph as he prepares to leave. "Enjoy your cookies."

Dolph realizes that his silence perhaps had lasted a little too long, watching Zack head for the exit. Overwhelmed by something he'd never really allowed himself to focus on in the past, he finds his way to his feet and rushes after him. "Wait, Zack-"

"There are a couple more cookies on the table, bro-" he's just said when Dolph grabs him and spins him around, both freezing when they realize just how close they are, almost touching... able to feel each other's breaths on their faces... warmth from the other's body... Zack's eyes flutter and Dolph finds himself staring at his lips, memories, reality, everything crashing together... "Bro," he whispers.

"When were we ever just friends, kid?" he wonders idly, hands ghosting against Zack's midsection before he pulls him closer, taking a deep breath to ease away his nerves. Licking his lips, he leans forward and kisses him slowly, carefully, giving the other man plenty of chances to move away, break the connection, but Zack doesn't, groaning against Ziggler's mouth before responding with overwhelming kisses of his own, his hands gripping his shoulders so tightly that it's almost painful.

Finally Zack pulls away, his eyes tightly closed. "What- what are we doing, bro?" He looks so scared, so _off-balanced_ that it's almost painful to stare at him. "This never works, we've tried and it got so messed up- I can't go through that again."

Dolph understands perfectly, he doesn't want to have to survive losing Zack again either- but still... it had felt so nice, for those few minutes... "I dunno kid, I'd say we've grown up some, don't you think? Maybe... maybe we needed... to go down stupid paths... to see what we had here all along..." He trails a hand down Zack's chest, watching how his eyes darken in response. "Eve, AJ... all of it... just to find our way back to each other, to know what the _truth_ really is..."

"Which is what, bro?" he whispers, unable to look away from his eyes.

"I've never stopped loving you." His fingers hover over Zack's lips. "And I'd say it's safe to deduce you've never quite stopped loving me either. Is that right?"

Green eyes wide in shock, Zack stares up at him before slowly pulling away, his lips twisting unhappily. "Bro..."

Feeling rarely vulnerable, Ziggler frowns, wondering if perhaps he's wrong after all. "What is it?"

"I just- I can't do this... what if it ends like last time?" He looks truly scared and Dolph reaches out for him, wanting to comfort him, but Zack shies away again, his eyes darting back and forth. "Look, I... I need to think about some things. Alright? I'm so sorry, bro. I have to go." And before Dolph can say or do anything, he's gone, the sound of his racing footsteps echoing back into the catering area.

"Well. That wasn't expected," he mumbles, sinking back down at their table. "Any of it..." He continues to stare down the hall that Zack had taken, his lips held in a tense frown. "Kid..."

Days later, Ziggler almost wants to laugh as he heads down the hall of Smackdown with his hands full of shredded clothes and a beat up suitcase, grimacing. AJ had gotten her hands on one of his bags, taking scissors to some of the stuff inside- luckily she'd missed his main bag, but she'd still taken her vengeance out on his wallet and passport, leaving him with a nice long list of things to do at the DMV the next day it's open. He's just entered the locker room, resting his things down to sort through them, when he hears a throat clear behind him.

Turning to look, he finds a sheepish looking Zack standing there, watching him as he drops a pile of shredded shirts into the garbage can. "Hey, bro," he says weakly, sitting down next to him. "Missing something?" When Ziggler looks down, Zack pushes a matching suitcase towards him. "I, um, saw AJ lurking around and thought maybe she was gonna do something to your stuff, so I grabbed what I could before she came inside the locker room. Sorry I couldn't get that one too, bro."

But Dolph looks relieved nonetheless, grabbing the bag and smiling at the other man. "Thanks," he says simply, though sincerely. Zack shifts forward, moving like he's about to leave, his job now done, but Ziggler reaches out and snags his wrist, surprising both of them. "Wait," he murmurs, gaze sincere behind his own shock.

"Uh, yeah, bro? Something you need?" Zack asks, eyes wide and mouth dry as they stare at each other, time slowing almost to a stop.

Dolph can think of a lot of things he could respond to that with but ultimately settles for, "Stay?" Zack blinks a time or two more before obligingly sitting down and watching as Dolph slowly unzips the bag.

It's not until he begins pulling things out that Zack really grows shocked, his lips parted in surprise as Dolph steadfastly piles up various shirts and other clothing items on a nearby bench, ensuring that the last of his belongings are still in tact. It becomes clear early on that most of the shirts are various merch releases of Zack's from the past year.

He swallows, staring at the differently colored items of clothing in disbelief. "You... you saved those?" he asks, voice cracking and causing him to flush even hotter. "I- I kinda thought you probably did to them what AJ did to yours tonight a long time ago."

Dolph shakes his head slowly, smiling. "Nope, I couldn't, no matter how much I considered it. They were yours... and you wanted me to have them at the time you gave them to me, so of course I kept them." Repacking his things once he's sure everything's there, he sighs. "Just glad she didn't get her hands on this stuff too."

Zack watches speechlessly as he zips his bag up, taking care not to snag the shirts with its teeth, tears suddenly beginning to prick at his eyes. He swallows thickly, still thrown by all of this. "Bro, I- I kept all of your shirts too," he admits warily, staring at his hands.

Dolph glances up, blinking at the bashful look on Zack's face. "Huh," he murmurs, pleasantly surprised. "I'm glad that you did. I'm not sure why that surprises me, I guess it just does. I was pretty cruel to you at times."

Zack gulps, shaking his head. "Went both ways, bro," he says lowly. "I said and did a lot of bad things too." They sit silently for a bit before the Long Island broski looks up. "Hey, bro, by the way, happy birthday. You know, just in case I don't see you much tomorrow."

Dolph grins at him, understanding all too well why he's felt the need to say so right now, when it's still a few hours off. WWE schedules can change so suddenly, most not knowing if they're coming or going until a few hours before... if they're lucky. "Thanks, kid," he says quietly. He wants to say something so badly, maybe even touch Zack, kiss him... but he doesn't want to push him either. After everything that had happened between them the past couple of years, he doesn't blame him for being hesitant. No matter how much it may be killing him to wait, patience never one of his strong suits.

Even so when he wakes up the next day, he has to smile when, mixed in with the various texts and tweets about his birthday, there's a tweet from Zack himself, wishing him a happy birthday again and teasing him about Mr. Ryder, like in the good old days on TLIS. He chuckles warmly before going to get ready for the day.

Unfortunately the day isn't meant to remain as light and fun for him, the event that night quickly going sideways when catering explains they'd made a cake for him, as they do for superstars whose birthdays fall close to event dates, but that it's since gone missing. He tries to brush it off and carry on with his business, but his questions are eventually answered when AJ interrupts his time in the ring,bringing the cake out and brandishing it around. He indulges her for a moment before she skips up to him with a piece, eyes glinting dangerously. He can't move fast enough, her lithe body pressing against him as she smears the cake down his face, across his chest and abs. Her touch is cold and cruel and he wonders how he ever thought things could work between them after everything she'd put so many other WWE superstars through over the last year.

He's still steaming over it all as he tries to wash the icing out of his hair, lips pressed thinly together. Not that he's big on birthday cake, needing to keep his ripped bod, but for her to humiliate him so publicly... He chews his inner cheek angrily before getting out of the shower to dry off, his eyes blazing as he spots remaining flakes of cake crumbs on his skin. "...Dammit."

When he's finally clean and dry, rubbed raw with soap until there's absolutely no vestiges of stickiness left on his skin, he ventures into the locker room, relieved to find it empty- of all but one. He blinks at the waiting Zack Ryder and swallows. "Kid?"

"Hey, bro. How about a beer? My treat," he offers with an easygoing smile. Dolph blinks, startled and yet pleased by the offer, before nodding. "Great!"

They spend a few hours at a bar that Zack picks because it's a bit out of the way, where the others more than likely won't bother going. Dolph sighs as he staggers out, blinking over at Zack. "You didn't drink much," he slurs, leaning against the car door.

"Nope, bro, I had my DD card this week," Zack tells him with a small grin, unlocking the car for him.

"DD card?" he repeats, confused and feeling a little lightheaded as he steps back so the door can be opened, Zack reaching out to keep him from stumbling over his own feet. "What's that?"

"Designated driver," Zack laughs, making sure Dolph gets in the car ok before slipping into the driver's side and starting the car. He's just turned to tell Dolph to put on his seat belt when he stops short, a fond smile crossing his face as he realizes that in the minute it took him to cross to the other side of the car, Ziggler had fallen asleep with his fingers still tangled around the leather strap. Shaking his head, he leans over and clicks it in place for him after freeing his hand and resting it comfortably in Dolph's lap, fighting not to let his touch linger for too long, knowing they won't get anywhere that way. Sadness fills his eyes.

He'd been able to ignore it, or at least pretend it away, but here, now, it sticks with him just how thoroughly he misses Dolph, being this close to him regularly, watching him sleep, listen to him breathe... He releases a shaky breath before turning back to the wheel and carefully driving away from the bar, it taking everything in him not to stay and once more absorb all that is Dolph.

When they arrive at the hotel, Dolph is still fast asleep and Zack gives himself a moment, touching the other man's hair carefully. When Ziggler leans into his touch, Zack's breath stutters in his chest, his eyes closed as he allows himself to imagine the potential of a renewed relationship between them, how good they used to be playing out once more. He sighs softly and whispers, "I do still love you, bro."

Realizing just what he'd said, he opens his eyes in shock, equally relieved and disappointed to find that Dolph had remained asleep this whole time. "Crap," he sighs, shaking his head in despair at what could've happened if Dolph had overheard him, Zack still unsure how he wants this whole situation to be resolved. "C'mon, let's get you inside."

The next morning, Dolph stirs slowly, groaning as a headache makes itself known, his head spinning when he tries to swallow down nausea. "Ugh, oh God," he mutters, sitting up slowly and gripping his head.

"Easy," a voice breaks through his misery, startling him as he jerks up to look, groaning louder at the sudden movement. "Hey, hey, I said easy," Zack chides him, padding across the room to rest a cool rag against his neck. "Just breathe, bro. You'll be ok. Tomorrow, that is..." He laughs weakly but Dolph quickly moves away, rushing for the bathroom. "Hey, that wasn't _that_ bad," he grouses, following slowly with a sympathetic wince.

Once he's done, Zack ventures into the room and rests the towel against his clammy forehead, brushing it through his hair and against his skin. "Kid," he mumbles, eyes half-lidded as Zack pulls him away from the toilet and rests him against his chest, cleaning him up and soothing him all at once. "Why did I drink so much?"

"AJ ruined your birthday, bro. Remember?"

"Oh," he murmurs. "Right." Blinking blankly at the other man, he shakes his head with a small smile. "But you made it better. You always make it better."

Zack freezes, staring back at him before chuckling weakly and trying to brush it off as a side effect of Dolph's drunkenness. "Not always, bro." He shifts, awkwardly pushing Dolph to rest against the wall as he moves back to the sink to re-wet the towel, when hands wrap around his midsection, holding him close. He tenses up and closes his eyes, releasing a shaky breath. "Bro-"

"Yes you do," Dolph mutters, ignoring him. "Always have, even when I was too wrapped up in myself to see it. You let me have time on your show when WWE wouldn't bother, you stayed by my side through that whole affiliation with Vickie Guerrero, you even forgave me after I screwed up with Princess Leia..."

Zack holds his hand up before Dolph can say anything else, his eyes prickling with long held emotions as he carefully frees himself from Ziggler's weak grip. "No, bro, just- just stop. I told ya I wasn't ready for- for any of this." He walks backwards towards the bathroom door, needing some space, air, when Dolph finds his way to his feet, only a little off-balanced as he walks after Zack. "Bro-"

"I want this," Dolph tells him. "I want _you_. I need to fix things between us, Zack. Don't you want that too?"

Feeling like the room's closing in on him, Zack twists quickly and opens the hotel room door, glancing back only once at Ziggler before closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry," he manages to get out before dashing towards the elevators, feeling deja vu yet again as he approaches the panel of buttons that would take him away from this, give him space and time to think things over more thoroughly.

Dolph stares blankly at the door for a moment before he shakes his head viciously. He had let Zack slip through his fingers once before, and he wasn't going to do it again. He pushes away all vestiges of his hangover determinedly before forcing the door open, rushing down the hallway towards the elevator, eyes locked on the anxiously waiting broski. "Zack! Dammit, wait!" he calls out as Zack presses the button again to take him to another floor.

Startled, Ryder turns instinctively to face him just as Dolph stumbles on thin air in his hurry, his forward motion sending him running right into Zack and slamming him against the closed doors, Zack gasping as the air is forced from his lungs even as he attempts to steady Dolph. "Bro," he grunts, the two of them freezing when the elevator beeps and... the doors open, sending them both crashing to the floor of the car, Ziggler landing on top of Zack and winding him for the second time in thirty seconds. "Son of a..." he wheezes, closing his eyes as he drops his head back against the floor, cringing.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Dolph groans, staring up at Zack in horrified worry. "Are you ok?!"

"Never better," he grunts, eyes fluttering open as he gets lost in Dolph's blue eyes, not seeing a look like that levied at him in a long, long time. "Bro..."

Dolph frowns up at him before realizing he's still sprawled out on top of him, the elevator doors frozen open as their feet, tangled together after the fall, poke out into the hallway. "Oh dammit, kid, I'm sorry, here, I'll get off of-" But as he scrambles, trying to get up without hurting Zack worse, something holds him in place and he realizes that Zack is shaking his head slowly, a small smirk on his lips as his arms tighten around Dolph's midsection. "Kid?"

"Hang on," he grumbles, shifting onto his elbows and scooting backwards, pulling himself and Dolph along until their legs and feet are safely inside of the elevator, the doors beeping a moment later as they slowly close. "There, that way we'll get some privacy."

"For what?" Dolph wonders, staring up into his eyes, unable to read the myriad of emotions there. "Kid..."

Something seems to have subtly changed in Zack when Dolph had chased him all this way, almost knocking them both out just trying to stop the broski from leaving, and Ziggler bites his lips, waiting for Zack to say, do something. "I... I'm just wondering why, after everything, you so suddenly want to fix things between us? Try again?" he asks lowly, hands still warm on Dolph's lower back as he stares down at him.

Dolph thinks it through carefully, not wanting to misspeak, make things worse, especially now, when he's wrapped up in Zack's arms for the first time in he's not sure how long. "I guess the concussion was a turning point, when I lost my World title. I understood a little better how you felt when you lost the US title to Swagger so abruptly, and after AJ cost me the rematches, I saw the Eve situation a little more closely. And you... you've finally moved past it all, I think. At least you _seem_ less bitter and angry... more like the Zack I first fell in love with years ago." He frowns a little, tracing a hand along the collar of Zack's shirt.

"It took time," he mutters in concession. "Moving past losing you, the title, what Eve did to me. My career freefalling all over again. Not to compare our situations, but I guess in a way... our problems do kind of coincide, huh? Title losses, women backstabbing us... Except yours are a lot more fresh than mine." He trails his hand up Ziggler's back, smiling faintly. "You're handling it a lot better than I did."

Dolph nods slowly, releasing a soft breath. "You know why I think that is?" Zack shakes his head slowly and Ziggler smirks. "Because I had a broski who was kind of helping me through it, even if he didn't realize it- if _I_ didn't realize it right away. I mean, you kept her from taking my stuff, and you listened when I needed to talk, and you... just kinda were always there, supporting me, whether I realized it or not." He closes his eyes and sighs, sitting up so he can hover over Zack's prone body. "Maybe if I had bothered doing more of that for you when _you_ were going through all of your problems, things wouldn't have gotten this bad..." He rests his hands on either side of Zack's face, staring into his startled eyes when the elevator begins to move, taking them up to a different floor. He grunts and looks over his shoulder, kicking at the panel with his socked feet, just managing to hit the red button that stops the elevator between floors, grinning smugly before turning his attention back to Zack. "I guess out of everything I _could_ and _ should_ say, the biggest thing I _want_ to say is I'm sorry... I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm sorry for not trying harder. I'm sorry for letting the US title and everything else come between us."

"It was a two way street, bro," he breathes, drowning in the look on Dolph's face as he inches closer. "I could've fought harder too-" His explanations fade into mumbles and then muffled whispers as Ziggler finally kisses him, the two of them quickly losing track of everything around them as the last year and a half of pain and separation fades away into nothing, their connection slowly making itself known again after so long of being buried by anger and denial.

When Dolph finally pulls away, he's a bit breathless too, overwhelmed by how right this all still feels yet again, his fingers still curling around Zack's face. As he looks into Zack's soft green eyes now lit with an affectionate gleam that was always just for him in the past, which he'd missed seeing for so long, he grins widely and leans down, pressing another quick kiss to Zack's lips. "So about that second chance..."

"Yes," Zack breathes out, unable to recall how he had ever found the strength to deny it this long, and not wanting to give it another thought. "Yes, yes, yes. Of course." Dolph laughs and presses his face into Zack's neck, content just to stay here forever and ever, marvel in- "Hey, bro?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"As comfortable as you seem to be," he mutters, stroking his fingers through his bleach blond hair, "this floor isn't doing much for my back. Do you mind-"

"Oh crap," Dolph hisses, remembering all of Zack's past issues, especially after what Kane had done to him. "Yeah, you should've said something. C'mon."

"I didn't wanna ruin the moment while we were finally talking everything out," he chuckles weakly as Dolph does for real scramble off of him this time and helps him to stand up, fingers warm against his hand as he pulls him up. He watches warmly as Ziggler gets the elevator moving once more before turning to join him, his fingers tangling in Zack's hair and pulling him closer, their breaths intermingling for a few moments before Zack bridges the last bit of the gap and kisses him. "I've missed you, bro."

"I've missed you," he answers, eyes closed as he trails his lips down Zack's chin to nuzzle against his throat for a minute. When the elevator beeps, he pulls away reluctantly and smiles down at him. "I love you."

"I love you too," Zack breathes out before Ziggler grips his hand and tugs him out of the elevator, heading back to the room they'd only left ten minutes ago, the two amazed at all that had changed in that relatively short period of time.

How right everything feels again, finally.


End file.
